student employability skills through STEM outreach

Enhancing student employability skills through partnership working in STEM outreach. from Scott Turner

A recent paper was presented by John Sinclair and co-authored by Stuart Allen, Linda Davis-Sinclair, Trish Goodchild, Julie Messenger, and Scott Turner at Northampton Learning and Teaching Conference 2014- Northampton 2018: Planning, Designing and Delivering Student Success about STEM outreach and employability.

Enhancing student employability skills through partnership working in STEM outreach

John Sinclair, Stuart Allen, Linda Davis, Trish Goodchild, Julie Messenger, Scott Turner

Contact details:

john.sinclair@northampton.ac.uk

Abstract:

For over a decade, University of Northampton staff and students have delivered successful STEM outreach activities, master classes and co-working opportunities to learners in schools and FE colleges.  In addition, the University works with the local STEMNET contract holder to gain national recognition for staff and students STEM Ambassadors and recognises STEM Ambassadors through awards (staff and student) as part of its annual celebration of volunteer achievement.  Both developments derive from a culture of empowering students as partners and enhancing the student journey.

The University has developed a co-ordinated programme of training and events to empower students and staff to engage with school and community outreach.  A cross-University STEM Steering Group (SSG) which features both management and grass roots-level representation from the across the University (Science and Technology, Health, Education, the Arts and its Centre for Employability and Engagement) manages the activities, including recruiting representation from the student body.  As such, SSG is uniquely well-placed to champion STEM activities across the University and to make these available to the wider community.  Local schools are able to access inspirational science activities, whilst University students gain employability-related skills in leadership, communication, project-delivery and self-motivation and staff gain valuable CPD.  Students also identify more strongly with the University.  The total package plays a major role in contributing to University aspirations in widening participation and is hugely popular with participants.  This paper will outline the project and will showcase the positive enhancements which it offers to University of Northampton students and school participants.

URB@N Project: Student perspective on a quality learner experience

The School of Science and Technology, University of Northampton has funding from URB@N for three projects. URB@N stands for ‘Undergraduate Research Bursaries at Northampton’. It is a bursary scheme offering opportunities for current undergraduate students to participate in a pedagogic research project taking place at the university. Details of one of these projects is included here.

Student perspective on a quality learner experience 

Scott Turner

John Sinclair

Overview

The project will form part of the larger work going on within the school

on what is a “quality learner experience” both from the staff and student

perspective.

The URB@N student project focus will be on the student perspective and as a peer can hopefully get an more unbiased view through staff not being directly involved in collecting the information.

It is anticipated that results will be disseminated throughout the School

and will inform all Subject teams in terms of the student perspective on

the current learner experience. With the expectation that this will lead to

proactively targeted enhancement activities at subject-level.


Over several years, the School of Science and Technology has been
concerned that its NSS scores, whilst improving, lag behind those of the
rest of the University of Northampton. The development of the KIS has
permitted ready comparison with competitors and whilst there is a recognised
sector-wide issue with low scores in science/technology students, we are not
managing to exceed the outcomes for the majority of similar institutions. In
2011/12, efforts were made to establish student focus groups to investigate
this issue, but student participation was low. We therefore wish to try a different approach, in which the research will be conducted by a student,
which we hope will enable greater buy-in and participation from students
within the School.

The URB@N project would enhance the ongoing project within the school into
what is a quality learner experience.

For more information about this project go Student perspective on a quality learner experience
More details about URB@N can be found at: http://www.northampton.ac.uk/urban